When installing Windows To Go using Rufus, what difference does Windows see between a micro SD card and a USB flash drive?


hsehestedt

hsehestedt

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I'm doing some experimenting with Windows To Go installations created using Rufus.

Before anyone feels in necessary to point this out to me, let me state that I am fully aware that running Windows from a USB flash drive is not a great idea. It's an even worse idea to run it off of a Micro SD card. I am doing this only in the name of experimentation to understand what is possible.

So, when I configure a USB flash drive, it works flawlessly. But every time I install to a Micro SD card, as soon as I log onto Windows it informs me that a temporary paging file was created, but try as I might, I can find no page file. This happens with every boot. But booting from a USB flash drive never causes this message and the pagefile resides on the flash drive.

When I examine a Micro SD card vs a USB flash drive, both show as a removable drive and I really see no other differences. Anyone know what differences there are that Windows is keying off that might account for the difference in behavior?

Please also note that I have tested with multiple flash drives, including some that are far slower than the micro SD card, so speed seems to have nothing to do with it.
 

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    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
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    Intel i7-14650HX
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    32 GB
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    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
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    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
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    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
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    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
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    13.3-inch IPS Display
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Since you are experimenting, one I have been thinking on is that an SDHC card uses a slot on the computer and the BIOS may not be showing that as a bootable device. My thought is to use a pocketable USB device that has the SDHC slot since USB can be identifiable by the BIOS.

Another test could be using a microXCSD card in the adapter it came with.

Difference between SD and SDHC is the SD has a limit of 2GB while SDHC is much higher.
 

My Computers

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  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM Version 24H2 Build 26100.4202
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
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    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe M.2
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    Win11 Pro RTM Version 24H2 Build 26100.4202
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
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    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
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    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
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Berton said:
Since you are experimenting, one I have been thinking on is that an SDHC card uses a slot on the computer and the BIOS may not be showing that as a bootable device. My thought is to use a pocketable USB device that has the SDHC slot since USB can be identifiable by the BIOS.

Another test could be using a microXCSD card in the adapter it came with.

Difference between SD and SDHC is the SD has a limit of 2GB while SDHC is much higher.
Click to expand...
Actually, I am not using a slot in the computer. I am using a tiny USB adapter. So, by every metric that I can quantify, it looks just like any other thumb drive. Also, recall that I can boot it just fine. Only difference is the issue with the paging file. My tests were done with a 512GB Micro SD Card (Samsung EVO Select).
 

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  • OS
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
    Screen Resolution
    Varies
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
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    120W Power Brick
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
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    Logitech MX Master 3
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    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
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    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
I may be wrong, but there must be some flag differentiating a USB flash drive (fixed size disk) from a SDHC card (removable medium on a card reader). The latter has many more chances to be removed when the drive hasn't completed accessing, so it is treated differently and hence the warning at login.
 

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System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8655)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
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    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
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    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
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    VDSL 50 Mbps
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    MICROSOFT EDGE
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    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8655)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
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    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
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    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
I have an SD memory card, formatted as a DOS boot disk, on which I have my Ghost 11.5, DOS based, Backup and Restore program.
Like you, I was experimenting, and it has no real practical use. Anything that small is easily lost.
But trying to run Windows from such a small media, seems like a really bad idea. I'd think it would require a very large SD card, at least 32 GB, or larger. Windows likes its Elbow Room!
I don't believe that you told us, the size of your SD card? But maybe it's just not large enough to keep Windows happy. ???

:cool:
 

My Computer

System One

I had read an old thread in Windows 7 or 8 forum about a guy that wanted to install Windows on an SD card so it didn't suffer from mechanical shock and he could use it on a vehicle. SSD didn't exist back then. Another idea is to have a different card per OS or tools you need. Obsolete, now that USB flash drives are so cheap you can have a different USB per tool. Or use Ventoy to have multiple ISOs and select which one to boot.
 

My Computers

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8655)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
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    1280x800
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    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
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    VDSL 50 Mbps
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    MICROSOFT EDGE
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    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8655)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
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    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
spapakons said:
Or use Ventoy to have multiple ISOs and select which one to boot.
Click to expand...
I wrote my own program similar to Ventoy but with more capabilities :-).
TechnoMage2021 said:
I have an SD memory card, formatted as a DOS boot disk, on which I have my Ghost 11.5, DOS based, Backup and Restore program.
Like you, I was experimenting, and it has no real practical use. Anything that small is easily lost.
But trying to run Windows from such a small media, seems like a really bad idea. I'd think it would require a very large SD card, at least 32 GB, or larger. Windows likes its Elbow Room!
I don't believe that you told us, the size of your SD card? But maybe it's just not large enough to keep Windows happy. ???

:cool:
Click to expand...

512GB
 

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  • OS
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
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    Acemagic
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    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
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    Integrated
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    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
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    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
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    120W Power Brick
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    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
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    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
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    Intel i7-1255U
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    16 GB
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    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
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    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
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    13.3-inch IPS Display
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    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
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    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
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    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
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    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
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    Windows Defender
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    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
An SD Memory card, is just so different from a common Flash Drive, that I'll bet the computer sees it differently too. I don't have a degree in NAND memory, so I really don't know what the differences are. I wish I did!
My own little SC card, with Ghost on it, is, I think just 2GB. Since Ghost originally came on one floppy disk, that 2GB SD card is plenty big enough.

:cool:
 

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System One

I always thought WTG couldn't create the proper partitions on an exFAT card... 🤷‍♂️
 

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    Windows 11 Pro
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    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
Hi,

I've used WiNGo on both SD Card and a USB/Sata cable. The little difference is speed that's it. I used program Hasleo WINTOUSB to create WiNGo based on the system it was on

Rufus never worked in that kind of situation for me
 

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    WiN11 Pro
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    Custom 775 System
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    Xeon E5450 3.0GHZ (OC 3.6GHZ)
    Motherboard
    ASUS PQ5-EM
    Memory
    8GB (2GBX4)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro K2200 4GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 24"
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1TB|750GB USB, 3 SSDs 2 240GB 1 128GB, 750GB HDD
    PSU
    650WATT Rosewill
    Case
    Rosewill with side Window
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    5 Fans and a big HSK for cpu
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    Rosewill RGB
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    Rosewill RGB
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    AT&T 150MB DL\UP
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    None
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    I'm lucky to even be here after 6yrs from my car accident
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    WiN10 LTSC
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    Manufacturer/Model
    Hp 8460p
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    i7 2670QM 2.20GHZ
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    Hp 161C
    Memory
    8GB (2X4GB) DUAL Channel
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    Intel HD Graphics 3000
    Sound Card
    Intel high Def (basically onboard)
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    OS 128GB l Storage (caddy) 320GB
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    AC (IDK the watts)
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    Defender
    Other Info
    A USB 3.0 in the Express Card Slot

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
    Screen Resolution
    Varies
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    120W Power Brick
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
WAI said:
Hi,

I've used WiNGo on both SD Card and a USB/Sata cable. The little difference is speed that's it. I used program Hasleo WINTOUSB to create WiNGo based on the system it was on

Rufus never worked in that kind of situation for me
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll try that.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
    Screen Resolution
    Varies
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    120W Power Brick
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
I tested a Linux Live by writing the LiveUSB on an SDHC card, wouldn't boot in the SD card slot. Then I put the card in a little USB card reader, such as from Targus, plugged into a USB port and it booted fine.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM Version 24H2 Build 26100.4202
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe M.2
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro RTM Version 24H2 Build 26100.4202
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 4TB Seagate HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Berton said:
I tested a Linux Live by writing the LiveUSB on an SDHC card, wouldn't boot in the SD card slot. Then I put the card in a little USB card reader, such as from Targus, plugged into a USB port and it booted fine.
Click to expand...
Yeah, there are a lot of SD card slots that require a driver and as a result are not bootable. However, there are some systems on which the SD card slots are bootable. It's one of those hit or miss situations.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
    Screen Resolution
    Varies
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    120W Power Brick
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
I guess card readers on a 3.5" panel, like those in old floppy drive and card reader combinations, are seen as removable storage by the BIOS and don't boot. External USB card readers might be seen as USB flash drive and allowed to boot. Just use an external USB card reader.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8655)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8655)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
spapakons said:
I guess card readers on a 3.5" panel, like those in old floppy drive and card reader combinations, are seen as removable storage by the BIOS and don't boot. External USB card readers might be seen as USB flash drive and allowed to boot. Just use an external USB card reader.
Click to expand...
Yes - an SD card in a usb reader is seen as a usb drive and is bootable.

Most pcs will not boot directly from an SD card.

Regarding wintogo drives, they can be legacy bios (1 NTFS partition) or uefi format (fat32 boot partition plus main NTFS partition) for Windows 10 but only UEFI for Windows 11.

Note: It can be tricky creating a bootable wintogo drive if you need IRST drivers to see the internal hard drive - this makes the wintodrive less portable than back in day when all internal drives were conventional SATA drives.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
cereberus said:
Yes - an SD card in a usb reader is seen as a usb drive and is bootable.

Most pcs will not boot directly from an SD card.

Regarding wintogo drives, they can be legacy bios (1 NTFS partition) or uefi format (fat32 boot partition plus main NTFS partition) for Windows 10 but only UEFI for Windows 11.

Note: It can be tricky creating a bootable wintogo drive if you need IRST drivers to see the internal hard drive - this makes the wintodrive less portable than back in day when all internal drives were conventional SATA drives.
Click to expand...
Last time I created a Windows-to-Go drive was with Windows 10, Windows 11 wasn't there yet. Good to know. Isn't there any way to inject the IRST drivers in the Windows-to-Go drive? What if you extract all the files in Windows\System32 folder? Windows should find them at first boot and install the driver.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8655)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8655)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
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